WGU D344 Section 1: Apply Mental Health Strategies 2026 Questions with 100% corrrect answers + rationales

Which statement best describes the relationship between theory and research?

-Theory and research are two core components of science.

-A theory is a factual statement generated by research.

-Theory may guide research through a deductive process or generate research through an inductive process.

-There is no relationship between theory and research.

-Theory may guide research through a deductive process or generate research through an inductive process.

The science of nursing includes paradigms. Which statement best describes a paradigm?

-A paradigm is the process of knowledge development of moving from the general to the specific.

-A paradigm is a concept comprised of nursing, person, environment, and health.

-A paradigm describes, explains, or predicts relationships between concepts.

-A paradigm is a worldview or widely accepted value system.

-A paradigm is a worldview or widely accepted value system.

According to Pehlivan and Guner (2016), why are theories used in the mental health field?

-To assess the client’s current situation and take necessary initiatives

-To focus on the stages of a person’s development

-To address factors such as housing, financial status, social network, business, and romantic relationships

-To assess the client's current situation and take necessary initiatives

According to Pehlivan and Guner (2018), which nursing theory would be most beneficial for a patient with schizophrenia who has difficulty maintaining self-care?

-Erikson’s theory

-Peplau’s theory

-Orem’s theory

-Parse’s theory

-Orem's theory

A parent brings their 10-year-old son in to see the PMHNP after he threatened to harm his younger brother. The parent noted that her son has been playing video games that involve extreme violence with his friends and watching his older brother play similar games. Which theory best explains the child’s behavior?

-Developmental theory

-Social cognitive theory

-Psychoanalytic theory

-Cognitive behavioral theory

-Social cognitive theory

During an initial encounter with a client, the nurse senses the client’s anxiety, even though the client has not verbalized feeling anxious. The PMHNP takes measures to help the client feel more comfortable with the interview, such as first chatting about the weather. According to Peplau, which term describes this dynamic between the PMHNP and the client?

-Empathy

-Object relations

-Empathic linkage

-Anxiety

-Empathic linkage

When discussing psychodynamic theory, Dr. Outlaw uses the mnemonic “Old age parrots love grapes.” What does the "o" in the mnemonic stand for?

-Other

-Operant

-Oral

-Oedipal

-Oral

Based on findings from Dr. Robert Waldinger’s longitudinal study, what makes humans happy and healthy?

-Self-confidence

-Good relationships

-Personal achievement

-Personal wealth

-Good relationships

Which of the following is a widely accepted definition of theory?

-A nursing question about a phenomenon that is framed as a true statement

-An organized set of concepts that explains a phenomenon or set of phenomena

-A way of understanding the complexities of phenomena

-A means of viewing the world through a particular perspective

-An organized set of concepts that explains a phenomenon or set of phenomena

What is an example of a theory from another discipline that contributes to our understanding of mental health and illness?

-Biological theories

-Relativity theories

-Spatial theories

-Quantum field theory

-Biological theories

Which statement is correct?

-The professional practice of the PMHNP should be theoretically based.

-Theories have had little influence on the development of psychiatric and mental health advanced practice.

-Nursing knowledge derived from practice is much more relevant than nursing knowledge derived from theory.

-It is not necessary for PMHNP practice to be based on theories.

-The professional practice of the PMHNP should be theoretically based.

Which theory posits that conscious and unconscious processes influence one’s thoughts and behaviors?

-Interpersonal theories

-Psychosocial theories

-Psychodynamic theories

-Behavioral theories

-Psychodynamic theories

A PMHNP is talking with a client about how their negative thoughts may be contributing to their feelings of depression. Which type of theory is the PMHNP using?

-Humanistic

-Cognitive

-General systems

-Behavioral

-Cognitive

Hildegard Peplau is considered the first nurse theorist who addressed psychiatric and mental health nursing. Which theorist influenced her seminal work on the nurse-client relationship?

-Sigmund Freud

-Abraham Maslow

-Harry Stack Sullivan

-Aaron Beck

-Harry Stack Sullivan

Which stage of the TTM is an individual who is researching weight loss programs in the community?

-Preparation

-Contemplation

-Action

-Pre-contemplation

-Preparation

According to Hayotte et al. (2020), what was identified as a barrier to the women in their study?

-Low self-esteem

-Fatigue

-Social physique anxiety

-Craving sweets

-Social physique anxiety

Which statement about motivational interviewing is correct?

-Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based technique that helps the client understand how feelings that are not within their conscious awareness affect their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

-Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based technique that focuses on helping individuals move through the stages of change toward a desired behavior.

-Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based counseling technique in which the client is persuaded to change their behavior.

-Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based counseling technique in which the client is immediately confronted about their behavior and the need to change the behavior.

-Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based technique that focuses on helping individuals move through the stages of change toward a desired behavior.

In discussing the work by Benedetti and colleagues (2005), what did Snowden and Tusaie (2022) conclude?

-APRNs should encourage patients to adopt the APRN’s health beliefs.

-The beliefs of both the client and practitioner have an impact on the efficacy of the treatment.

-Mothers tend to champion complementary alternative therapy while fathers and children remain more skeptical.

-Health beliefs are not a component of concordance.

-The beliefs of both the client and practitioner have an impact on the efficacy of the treatment.

In the video, six constructs to the health belief model are described. A person’s perceptions of the negative consequences of a condition and perceived risk factors is an example of which construct?

-Perceived susceptibility

-Self-efficacy

-Perceived barriers

-Cues to action

-Perceived susceptibility

Which statement describes how humans are viewed by practitioners who use humanistic theories?

-Individuals who are basically good

-Individuals who suffer from distortions in their thinking

-Individuals who respond in accordance with learned cues

-Individuals who are ambivalent about making changes

-Individuals who are basically good

A client is explaining a painful conversation that she had with her wife to the PMHNP. The PMHNP thinks about how the client might be feeling and perceives the situation through the client’s eyes. What is the PMHNP’s action called?

-Client-centered approach

-Positive regard

-Love and belonging

-Empathy

-Empathy

According to Carl Rogers, which qualities are included in the term facilitating conditions?

-Accuracy, astuteness, and unconditional positive regard

-Accurate empathy, congruence or transparency, and unconditional positive regard

-Concordance, astuteness, and transparency

-Accurate empathy, astuteness, and congruence

-Accurate empathy, congruence or transparency, and unconditional positive regard

When Kohlberg presented the Heinz Dilemma to people, which response was he most concerned with?

-What they thought about the druggist.

-The reasoning behind whether a person answered yes or no.

-What they thought about Heinz.

-Whether they answered yes or no.

-The reasoning behind whether a person answered yes or no.

According to Gilligan, which type of care is concerned with looking out for the needs of other people over one’s own needs?

-Other orientation

-Survival orientation

-Conventional care

-Integrated care

-Conventional care

Which statement explains why Gilligan argued that developmental models that advocate separation as a necessary developmental task disadvantage women?

-Women value empathy and autonomy.

-Girls separate from their mothers and boys attach to their mothers.

-Women value attachments within their relationships.

-Women usually focus on caring for the family.

-Women value attachments within their relationships.

According to George Engel, what are the three dimensions of illness in the biopsychosocial model?

-Sociological, interpersonal, and biological

-Medical, surgical, and sociological

-Culture, genetic vulnerability, and personality

-Psychological, sociological, and biological

-Psychological, sociological, and biological

A PMHNP is assessing a patient using the biopsychosocial model as a framework. Once her assessment is completed, which domain should her diagnosis be based on?

-Primarily in the biological domain

-Primarily on the interaction of all three domains: biological, psychological, and social domains

-Primarily on the interaction between the biological and psychological domains

-Primarily on the interaction between the psychological and social domains

-Primarily on the interaction of all three domains: biological, psychological, and social domains

What is a core concept of the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change?

-Stages of change

-Order of change

-Self-esteem

-Psychological domain

-Stages of change

A client has started walking a half-mile every day and eats a reduced carbohydrate diet to help lose 20 pounds. He has lost 3 pounds thus far. According to the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change, which stage of change is the client in?

-Maintenance

-Preparation

-Action

-Contemplation

-Action

What is a major premise of the health belief model?

-People have different health beliefs, and these have a significant impact on subsequent behavior including the outcome of treatment.

-People have different health beliefs that are usually incorrect and inaccurate.

-People have different health beliefs and these beliefs do not have a significant impact on subsequent behavior including the outcome of treatment.

-One’s health beliefs do not impact the outcome of treatment.

-People have different health beliefs and these beliefs do not have a significant impact on subsequent behavior including the outcome of treatment.

Which statement about collaboration is correct?

-The PMHNP should understand the importance of their own beliefs.

-Shared decision-making between the client and the PMHNP may result in worse treatment outcomes.

-The PMHNP should convince the client to adopt the PMHNP’s health beliefs.

-It is therapeutic for the PMHNP to collude with the client, even if the PMHNP does not share those beliefs.

-The PMHNP should understand the importance of their own beliefs.

According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which statement is true?

-Most everyone can achieve self-actualization.

-It does not matter what order the developmental stages are met.

-The need for love and belonging must first be met for an individual to progress through the developmental stages.

-Lower-level needs such as physiological needs must first be met for an individual to progress through the rest of the developmental stages.

-Lower-level needs such as physiological needs must first be met for an individual to progress through the rest of the developmental stages.

In client-centered therapy, a humanistic model, the PMHNP must not put up a facade of any kind or deceive clients about their feelings. Carl Rogers referred to this as which facilitating condition?

-Accurate empathy

-Unconditional positive regard

-Congruence

-Truth-telling

-Congruence

How does Carol Gilligan’s theory differ from Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory?

-In Gilligan’s theory, the most basic kind of caring is integrated caring.

-Gilligan’s positions cannot be ranked in a developmental sequence.

-In Gilligan’s theory, positions are ranked in a developmental sequence.

-Gilligan believed that moral character required separation from attachment figures.

-Gilligan’s positions cannot be ranked in a developmental sequence.

According to George Engel, what are the three major domains of the bio-psychosocial model?

-Genetic vulnerability, culture, and emotions

-Self-esteem, psychology, and biology

-Biologic, social, and psychological

-Interpersonal relationships, neurochemistry, and genetic vulnerability

-Biologic, social, and psychological

Which percentage of US adults are thought to be experiencing a severe mental illness?

-6.50%

-2.10%

-4.30%

-4.55%

-4.55%

Which state had the highest prevalence of substance use disorder in 2021?

-New Jersey

-California

-Massachusetts

-Colorado

-Colorado 11.9% in 2021

Which percentage of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14?

-25%

-15%

-50%

-75%

-50%

What is the most common mental health condition worldwide and one of the main causes of disability?

-Bipolar disorder

-Psychosis and schizophrenia

-Depression

-Dementia

-Depression

Economic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environments, and social and community context were identified as priority areas in the Healthy People 2030 video.

-True

-False

-True

Factors related to gender identities such as transgender identity, gender nonconformity, and sexual orientation have been linked to behavioral outcomes. Which factor is a behavioral outcome?

-Homelessness and poverty

-Crime and incarceration

-Phobias and panic attacks

-Self-harm and suicide attempts

-Self-harm and suicide attempts

What is an example of personally mediated racism?

-Economic inequalities and educational disparities among different groups

-Racism governed by institutional practices or policies that differentially favor or oppress groups

-Food insecurity and intergenerational violence

-Implicit or explicit stereotypes or prejudices made based on race

-Implicit or explicit stereotypes or prejudices made based on race

How many adverse events are included on the standard version of the Adverse Life Events Scale?

-12

-20

-24

-16

-16

In addition to disordered eating, many of the participants in this study screened positive for which disorder?

-Substance dependence

-Irritable bowel syndrome

-Anxiety

-Depression

-Depression

According to information in “Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence,” a strategy for preventing ACEs is “promoting social norms that protect against violence and adversity.” What is an approach for this strategy?

-Social-emotional skills

-Public education campaigns

-High-quality childcare

-Mentoring programs

-Public education campaigns

What is an example of an adverse childhood experience?

-Being raised by one parent

-Parental anxiety

-Abuse and neglect

-Overindulgence

-Abuse and neglect

What is the definition of disease prevalence?

-Prevalence refers to the frequency and pattern of disease.

-Prevalence refers to the percentage of the population who are at risk for developing a disease.

-Prevalence refers to the proportion or rate of persons who develop a condition during a particular time and includes only new cases.

-Prevalence refers to the proportion of persons who have a condition at or during a particular time frame and includes new and pre-existing cases.

-Prevalence refers to the proportion of persons who have a condition at or during a particular time frame and includes new and pre-existing cases.

What is the definition of incidence of disease?

-Incidence refers to the causes and risk factors for disease.

-Incidence refers to the likelihood a percentage of the population will contract the disease.

-Incidence is the proportion of the population who have a condition at or during a particular time.

-Incidence refers to the proportion or rate of persons who develop a condition during a particular time and includes only new cases.

-Incidence refers to the proportion or rate of persons who develop a condition during a particular time and includes only new cases.

What is the percentage of individuals reporting serious thoughts of suicide in 2021?

-7.50%

-2.80%

-6.10%

-4.34%

-4.34%

According to the article by Alegria and colleagues (2019), what has research identified as a social determinant of mental health?

-Higher socioeconomic status

-Impaired communication

-Having a warm, loving, and actively engaged caregiver

-Owning a pet

-Having a warm, loving, and actively engaged caregiver

According to the video, “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Impact on Brain, Body, and Behavior,” what is key to decreasing the impact of adverse childhood experiences?

-Having a warm, loving, and actively engaged caregiver

-Obtaining employment

-Increased cortisol levels in the body

-Epigenetics

-Having a warm, loving, and actively engaged caregiver

According to the video “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Impact on Brain, Body, and Behavior,” changes that occur early in brain development secondary to adverse childhood experiences are more likely __________.

-to be easier to reverse compared to changes occurring during later brain development

-to be enduring and passed on to future generations

-to result in incarceration of the affected individual during adolescence or adulthood

-to result in the affected individual developing greater resiliency

-to be enduring and passed on to future generations

Which statement best describes the Life Events Checklist?

-The Life Events Checklist is a self-report measure designed to screen for potentially traumatic events in a person’s lifetime.

-The Life Events Checklist is a self-report measure designed to calculate the amount of stress a person is currently experiencing.

-The Life Events Checklist measures both positive and negative life events that occur in a person’s lifetime.

-The Life Events Checklist is a tool used to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder.

-The Life Events Checklist is a self-report measure designed to screen for potentially traumatic events in a person’s lifetime.

A 16-year-old patient with bipolar disorder is managed with aripiprazole (Abilify) and has been stable for nearly a year. However, the patient is gaining weight and has a BMI in the 88th percentile. The patient does not want to continue taking the medication, stating, “I do not want to be fat. I am better, anyway.” Which strategy for managing metabolic change should be employed first?

-Arrange for the patient to work with a dietitian on diet changes

-Provide psychoeducation about the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

-Encourage the patient to participate in physical activities

-Introduce cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for behavioral changes

-Provide psychoeducation about the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

A patient has been smoking for 10 years. During motivational interviewing with a nurse practitioner (NP), it is apparent that the patient is ready for the action phase of change. The patient expresses a desire to avoid medications for smoking cessation and states that they worry they will not be successful due to stress. The NP recommends stress management, knowing that stress resistance is essential for efficient problem-solving. Which model of mental health does the NP’s recommendation reflect?

-Maturity

-Above normal

-Positive psychology

-Resilience

-Positive psychology

A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus receives mental health services for bipolar disorder. A nurse practitioner (NP) is concerned because of the persistent elevation of serum glucose. During motivational interviewing about the problem, the patient indicates they want to improve their diet and physical activity but feels unsure whether they can do it. The NP wants to facilitate moving the patient into the action stage of change. What should the NP say to facilitate this change?

-“What would help you move toward your goals of improving diet and physical activity?”

-“If you don’t do something about your blood sugar levels, your health will worsen.”

-“Why don’t you think you can improve your diet and physical activity?”

-“Your current diet and activity level are taking a heavy toll on your health.”

-"What would help you move toward your goals of improving diet and physical activity?"

A population of Indigenous Americans living on a reservation has a high rate of chronic illness and mental health disparities. A nurse practitioner (NP) considers intergenerational trauma, social determinants of mental health, and culture as the NP begins to work with this population and the challenges to treatment planning. How should the NP apply holistic-based care to promote disease prevention and optimal mental health?

-Tell them they will be left alone to continue doing what they are doing

-Prescribe medications to those individuals who need or desire treatment

-Send in a group of nurse practitioners and therapists to set up a weekly clinic

-Send out an outreach screening for needs assessment and desire for care

-Send out an outreach screening for needs assessment and desire for care

A patient with same-sex orientation is being evaluated for anxiety symptoms by a nurse practitioner (NP). The patient says, “I came out of the closet. I am free to be myself, but I only feel like an outcast.” The patient is distressed by people’s attitudes toward them, citing that they cannot have children because of their sexual orientation. In addition, the patient reports being told they need to go to therapy to be “fixed” due to their sexual orientation. Which response should the NP give based on the evidence and social determinants of mental health?

-“You can examine your sexual orientation and fix what you feel is necessary for you.”

-“Your sexual orientation is innate and cannot change, so there is nothing to fix.”

-“Self-acceptance is positive, and research says outcomes are the same as heterosexuals.”

-“Research says therapy can help fix what you need to reconcile with yourself.”

-“Self-acceptance is positive, and research says outcomes are the same as heterosexuals.”

A nurse practitioner (NP) is engaging in a psychotherapy session with a patient seeking treatment for a substance abuse problem. The patient states, “Some of the things I have done are unforgivable. I would be embarrassed to tell you about them.” The NP assures the patient that the goal is to help the patient realize and meet their full potential and that this is a safe space with unconditional acceptance and positive regard. Which therapeutic approach is the NP using?

-Client-centered therapy

-Psychodynamic psychotherapy

-Cognitive behavioral therapy

-Dialectical behavioral therapy

-Client-centered therapy